Microchipping will become law next week

Microchipping - it takes a second but lasts a lifetime. As of April 6 it will become illegal to own a dog that is not microchipped.

Every week at the centre we receive phone calls from frantic pet owners asking if we have had their much loved pet handed in. When we ask for some details, the vast majority of the animals have not been microchipped or have any other form of ID on them.

If a dog or a cat that has gone missing is handed in to us or centres like ours, picked up by the police, picked up by the dog warden service, handed in to a vet practice etc etc, the first thing that will happen will be a scan of the animal for a microchip.

If there is a chip detected, and the owners details are up to date, the chip company will be informed and they will contact the owner. The result is pet and owner are reunited. Simple isn’t it!

If, however, there is no chip detected and no other form of ID then there is absolutely no way we can establish ownership. As such, if you have lost your pet, you will be in an awful position and will have to pull out all the stops with advertising, phoning around, posting Facebook appeals etc to stand even the slightest chance of finding your family pet again. It really is as simple as that.

We deal with all these issues pretty much every day. We see and hear the panic and feeling of helplessness that owners are experiencing. Imagine your pet going missing and then imagine knowing that there is no ID on them!

Obviously a tiny chip, around the size of a grain of rice, isn’t going to stop an animal going missing. But what it does do is give peace of mind that if they are found there is a really good chance that you will be able to get them back again. The vast majority of cats do not wear collars and a good proportion of dogs do not have an ID disc on their collar, in our experience.

We, like most rescue centres, microchip all the cats, kittens and dogs that we rehome. The procedure only takes a split second. Most vet practices offer the service too. We, also, will microchip your pet. We only charge £15 and this includes all the admin to get you on the chip company’s database. From then on you must update the details if you move etc. If you don’t there is a high chance that you can’t be contacted.